HRBA Questions & Steps: Linkages

Key questions: HRBA Steps:

 Who has been left

behind and why? 1. CAUSAL ANALYSIS
Getting to root causes
 What are they Legal, Institutional, and policy frameworks
entitled to?
2. ROLE/PATTERN
à Who has to do
ANALYSIS
something about it?

à What do they need, 3. CAPACITY GAP

to take action? ANALYSIS

1
Key Points

 Who has been left behind and why?

Human rights standards are a minimum in practice and a standard of
achievement (as per Universal Declaration) which are necessary to expand the
freedoms and opportunities inherent to human development. The "why" links with
the causal analysis and will help us visualize how human rights principles can
help identify persistent patterns of discrimination, exclusion, impunity and
powerlessness. Causality analysis should lead to the identifications of immediate,
underlying and root causes.

 What are they entitled to?

The question on the entitlements is essential to visualize and understand that HR
standards embodied in the treaties are not just words on the page – but
applicable standards.

 Who has to do something about it?

It is important to identify, specifically, who are the duty bearers and rights
holders– those with obligations to act. Caution! It is easy to imply that action
should be taken only by duty bearers. Presenters should emphasise that the
"who" in "who has to do something about it" includes both duty bearers and rights
holders.

 What do they need, to take action?

The “they” in the final question refers to both rights holders and duty bearers and
help identify critical capacity gaps that prevent action. At the underlying and root
levels, these capacity gaps will nearly always involve gaps in legal, institutional,
policy, and financial (budget) frameworks. Action in the political and economic
environment may be critical for empowering rights-holders and develop the
capacities of duty-bearers. Rights-based causality analysis should be used to
strengthen ongoing or planned country analysis and to bring some influence to
the preparation or review of National development plans, including PRSPs.
Reports from international, regional and national human rights mechanisms are
key sources of information that should be used during the analysis.

!! Important:
Remember that a key messages in a HRBA is that the process is equally
important as the outcome of development.